Extension magazine - Winter 2022

28 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Recipient
Extension | Winter 2022 29
was dragged from a tunnel and
had the skin torn from her back.
They were people, not problems.
And when you see people—
really see them—you fall in love.
We act as Jesus would. He is there
in our midst. The divine intention
marries our hearts. An outbreak of
love happens and God is present.
Fedigan and her volunteers pass
the Matthew 25 eye exam day in
and day out. Lumen Christi.
A light cannot be hidden under
a bushel. Word spread, and soon
60 women a day were approaching
the door. Volunteers from
other churches and faiths joined
in. Fedigan raised more funds and
purchased a 25,000-square-foot
facility, which is the current home
of the Sister José Women’s Center.
Every morning at 7:30, Fedigan
opens the center’s gates. She
says, “Good morning, ladies! We
love you and are so glad you are
here with us. Now, before we go in
for breakfast, please give me any
weapons you have.” The women
have to protect themselves after
all. One woman recently handed
over a hatchet, which Fedigan returned
to her after breakfast.
Sister José Women’s Center is a
low-barrier facility, that is, nothing
prevents women from entering.
No ID is required. No judgment is
rendered. No one is unwelcome. If
you need help, you are in.
The women line up for a breakfast
of oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs,
bagels and fruit. Sometimes there
are doughnuts. Each morning
more than 80 women are in line.
The most infirmed and stricken
are always served first. Just like in
Lourdes.
At the center they can take
a shower, do laundry, rest and
see a case manager. They are offered
help with any of their needs,
from clothing to counseling to job
search assistance. They use the
center’s address, email and phone
number as their contact information.
It is a lifeline back to normal.
Even their dogs are welcome.
Many of the women have dogs—
their best friend, their comfort,
their alarm, their constant protection.
The dogs sleep next to the
women at the center. During the
day women knit booties for the
dogs’ paws, protection against the
burning Tucson streets. The dogs
are fed, watered and cared for just
like their owners. Fedigan’s veterinarian
thinks she has 15 dogs.
BEING CALLED BY NAME
Fedigan calls the women by
name, embraces them and hugs
them. “Are you doing OK? Are you
all right?” she asks. Some women
don’t come into the center. They
Sister José Women’s Center also cares for
the animals who accompany and protect
vulnerable women on the street.
stay just outside, fearful, skittish
and unsure. Fedigan doesn’t rush
things. The women decide what
they need and when they need it.
One woman took two years before
she entered the center.
During the day, the women
ABOVE Jean
Fedigan knows
each woman
she serves by
name. She gives
them a lifeline to
safety, healing and
opportunities to
get back on their
feet.
come inside to escape the searing
Tucson temperatures, which regularly
climb to triple digits. A cooling
mist sprays from the solar panels
in the courtyard. The women
flop onto mats. There is counseling,
COVID-19 testing, check-ins.
There is ointment for a back flayed
of skin. Help with a resume. Help
for those struggling through a high
noon nightmare. Help with anything
and everything.
But mostly there is rest. Safety.
Respect. For Fedigan, God is love.
Having a center filled with love
is doing God’s work. And God
is present among all of these
women. The latest revelation of
Jesus in the world is at the center.
You can feel it the moment you
enter. God’s love falls like a cooling
mist—ineffable, gentle, all-encompassing,
never missing a beat.
Women can stay the night. The
center can sleep up to 40, more
in a pinch. The gates are locked at
5:30 p.m. to keep predators out.
The only ones who can get the
gate open are the Tucson police.
They know Fedigan by name and
frequently bring a terrified woman
to the center’s door in the middle
of the night. Fedigan always finds
a place for whomever they bring
in, whatever state they’re in.
Come the dawn, Fedigan and
her volunteers get up and do it
again. And again. For more than 14
years, for thousands. Last year the
center provided 7,121 overnight
stays. (Many women are repeat
guests.) More than 26,000 meals
were served. The Gospel rolls
forward.
Jean Fedigan
and volunteers
at Sister José
Women’s Center
fulfill the Gospel
mandate to “feed
the hungry,”
serving tens of
thousands of
meals to homeless
women.
Catholic Extension donors are
part of this beautiful ministry.
Through the Lumen Christi Award,
Fedigan will receive $50,000 to
support her loving work at Sister
José Women’s Center.
Fedigan said it best: “I’ve always
believed that part of my faith
is that I’m called to do the mission
of Jesus. You feed the hungry. You
clothe the naked. You help heal
the sick. You do whatever it is that
shows the women they are loved. I
think that is what Jesus really calls
us to do here—to love one another,
to love our neighbors.”
Fedigan passes the Matthew
25 eye exam with flying colors.
She sees the suffering hidden in
plain sight. She sees Lisa, Grannie
Tieneshia, Tammy and Joanne—the
women, not their maladies.
She sees Jesus and lives the
way He would, her heart married
by the divine intention. She sees
the wonderful things that love intends.
And she helps us see what we
can do. She illuminates our capacity
as daughters and sons of God.
She is a Lumen Christi and helps
us see that we can be one too.